The IsletCore Program: Improving the Supply of Human Islets to Satisfy the Demand for Research See article in Endocrinology 2016;157:560–569

Abstract

The International Diabetes Federation estimates 415 million people have diabetes worldwide, and this number is expected to increase to 642 million by 2040 (1). These individuals can be segregated into type 1 diabetes (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) based on etiology of the disease, with T2D accounting for more than 90% of diagnosed individuals. Patients with T1D and long-standing T2D diabetes are generally characterized by dysfunctional regulation of blood glucose coinciding with reduced islet mass and insulin-deficiency (2– 4). Both T1D and T2D patients will prematurely develop serious comorbidities, including kidney and vascular complications (5, 6), ultimately reducing quality of life and shortening life expectancy. It is estimated that 12% of global health care expenditures ($673 billion) is spent on diabetes. Thus, development of improved or curative therapies is warranted to combat global insulin deficiency in the growing number of individuals with diabetes. Accordingly, the capacity to study human islet function is essential to enhance our understanding of islet development, genomics, mechanisms of insulin/glucagon secretion, signaling networks, and the pathophysiology of -cell dysfunction underlying diabetes (7–10).